Gala Celebration for Confucius Institute Set Nov. 4

A gala celebration to mark the opening of the Confucius Institute at The University of Texas at Dallas will be held Sunday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Center.

The free event will include traditional Chinese music and dance, voice imitation and acrobatics provided by national and international award winning performers. Featured artists are acrobat Fanzhe Meng, dancer Yao Zhang, vocal imitation/voice mimicry artist Wei Hua and musicians Luo Wu and Rui Yang.

The performance will also include local dancers and UT Dallas students reading poetry in Chinese and English. Gala Committee member Sharon Yang will emcee the event.

UT Dallas, in cooperation with China Three Gorges University (CTGU), established the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas to promote international communication, to enhance the understanding of Chinese language and culture and to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between CTGU and UT Dallas.

The Confucius Institute will focus on achieving the following goals:

Establishing a regional center for promotion of Chinese studies.

Promoting the understanding of Chinese culture through bidirectional translation of Chinese and American literature.

Expanding and enhancing opportunities for the study of Chinese history, literature and language by creating an Asian Studies program at UT Dallas.

Organizing and promoting exhibitions, lectures and artistic performances to increase public awareness and appreciation of past and current Chinese culture and

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UT Dallas, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787) or email utdarts@utdallas.edu. People with disabilities in need of special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

About the School of Arts & Humanities

The School of Arts & Humanities at UT Dallas offers a dynamic and integrated approach to education that fosters the critical, creative and communicative skills necessary for success in the culturally diverse, technologically rich and change-intensive environment of the 21st century. For more information about the School of Arts & Humanities, please visit the Web site at http://ah.utdallas.edu.

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The University offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the University’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.